The Gentleman Magazine Issue 12 | December 2018 | Page 37
ONE-OFF LAND ROVER DEFENDER HITS
THE ‘DESIGNER STREET’ IN SELFRIDGES
A unique Land Rover Defender Works V8 is now on permanent
display in the new Designer Street Room at Selfridges’ flagship
department store in London, having been inserted through a
first-floor window and reassembled on the menswear floor.
Created as a one-off vehicle, the Selfridges Edition is based on
the 405PS Defender Works V8 – 70th Edition and features a
number of bespoke elements, including Bronze Green paint, a
branded hood in trademark Selfridges yellow, retro-style seats
with custom stitching, and unique Selfridges badging.
Having been craned into the store’s first floor as a kit of parts,
a team of three specialist Land Rover Classic technicians
constructed the Defender in full view of the shopping public
in just over four days with five Classic workers. More than
930 hours of expert craftsmanship have gone into creating
this unique vehicle, which started life as a 2016 Defender 110
2.2 TDCi Pick Up at Jaguar Land Classic Works in Coventry
almost five months ago.
Like Land Rover, Selfridges has a rich UK heritage. The famous
store was the brainchild of American Harry Gordon Selfridge,
who arrived in London in 1906 and opened his first Selfridges
store in 1909 at its current site on Oxford Street. This year Land
Rover is celebrating its 70th anniversary while Selfridges will
celebrate 110 years of trading next year.
Sebastian Manes, Buying and Merchandising Director,
Selfridges, said: “In a pioneering moment for both Selfridges
and Land Rover, this one-of-a-kind automotive was created
especially for the store’s new Men’s Designer Street Room.
The Defender will act as a platform for our art and fashion
partners and is a key feature within this dynamic space. We are
so excited to have worked on this collaboration together, in an
ongoing relationship that will celebrate creativity and design in
an unexpected way.”
Jaguar Land Rover Classic Director, Tim Hannig, said:
“Everything on this car, from the custom cross-stitched leather
to the unique Selfridges hood and Works V8 Conversion, has
been created at our state-of-the-art Classic Works facility in
Coventry. This may be the most quickly-assembled one-off
Defender in the world, but it will be on display at Selfridges in
London long enough for customers to enjoy.”
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